Amazon Dash buttons may get a new brand blitz
Dozens of brands will be added to the lineup of tiny widgets, which you can click to purchase household goods through Amazon, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Amazon is reportedly trying to attract more consumers to its Dash push-button ordering devices by beefing up the brands offering goods for sale through the gadgets.
The internet retail giant is expected to announce this week the addition of dozens of new brands for Dash buttons, according to a Wall Street Journal report Sunday that cites documents and people familiar with the matter. It wasn't immediately clear which brands might be added to the lineup of Dash buttons, which are small, internet-connected devices that people can click to purchase household goods like paper towels or detergent through Amazon.
The new batch of brands comes roughly two months after Amazon unleashed dozens more of them to mark the first anniversary of the tiny widgets, tripling the current lineup to surpass 100 different buttons. Because the Dash button was introduced just before April 1, 2015, some reporters wondered if the concept was a joke.
Despite the reinforcements, consumer response to the tiny devices has been tepid, according to one market researcher. In a study released in March, Slice Intelligence found that less than 50 percent of those who bought the buttons actually placed an order with them.
The Dash buttons are yet another way for Amazon to try to hook in customers and keep them from buying consumable items at nearby grocery or convenience stores. Brands seem to love the program for the opportunity to keep customers loyal.
Dash buttons are available essentially at no cost to customers of Amazon's $99-per-year Prime membership in the US. Customers have to pay $4.99 upfront for each one, but that payment is reimbursed after the first purchase using the button.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.